REDMOND, Wash.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- For the last 30 years, Super Mario fans have proved to be some of the most passionate, loyal and dedicated video game fans on the planet. Traditionally that fervor has been most clearly measured by unit sales, and with more than 310 million units sold and counting in the Super Mario franchise, that fervor is historic. And now, with the recent release of the Super Mario Maker game for the Wii U console, Nintendo has a new way to measure fan engagement: level creation.

Today it was revealed that more than 1 million units* of Super Mario Maker have been sold around the world since its launch on Sept. 11**. The addition of 1 million new “fan” developers has led to the creation of more than 2.2 million Super Mario courses, which combined have been played nearly 75 million times.

“For Mario fans around the world, including myself, Super Mario Maker was a dream 30 years in the making,” said Nintendo of America President and COO Reggie Fils-Aime. “The game has captured and unlocked the imaginations of gaming fans of all ages and brought their dedication to Nintendo to a whole new level.”

Using the touch screen of the Wii U GamePad controller, Super Mario Maker players can create levels in four different Super Mario game styles. The game offers dozens of enemies, items and power-ups, and lets people design everything from the terrain to where to place Warp Pipes. Completed levels can then be uploaded and enjoyed by other players around the world. Some seem simple, some offer fun challenges and some prove maddeningly difficult – it all depends on the designer. But everyone can find courses to enjoy and may find some courses to provide insightful inspiration for their own new creations.

For more information about Super Mario Maker, visit http://supermariomaker.nintendo.com.

Remember that Wii U features parental controls that let adults manage the content their children can access. For more information about this and other features, visit http://www.nintendo.com/wiiu.

*Based on Nintendo’s internal sales figures. Includes standalone physical, bundled physical and digital units.
**Super Mario Maker launched on Sept. 10 in Japan; on Sept. 11 in the Americas and Europe; and on Sept. 12 in Australia.